Will BoSox Fans Be Bitter This Weekend? Eh...Let 'em Eat Steak!

It's going to be a VERY busy weekend for Philly sports fans!  Besides the Sixers’ playoff games, the Phillies have a pretty important weekend of their own. 

Inter-league play begins for 2012 as the Phils host some of baseball's royalty with the Boston Red Sox visit this weekend.  Both squads have had some early-season problems and find themselves in the unlikely position of being in last place in their respective divisions, but the Phillies are showing signs of life, having won four straight headed into tonight's game against the Cubs in Chicago.  Not much has been made about the weekend series against the Red Sox, but you know that Jonathan Papelbon MUST have had these dates circled on his calendar for quite some time.

Over the years, I've spoken to many players from different sports about playing against teams they had played for previously, and what it meant to them.  The opinions are pretty diverse.  Some guys play it off as being just another game, but it seems like the stickier the exit, the more intense the return match becomes.  It's a natural way to feel, I suppose.

Despite the fact that most players understand that the world of sports is a "business,” that doesn't mean they won't take exception to their life and the lives of their families (in some cases) being uprooted and forced to change via either trade or free agency.  In Papelbon's case, he has to be the one smiling at the moment as he has enjoyed some pretty decent early success with his new team, not to mention a pretty HUGE contract.

Meanwhile, his old team (the Red Sox) have struggled with the closer role and are still wondering who might win that job.  Many of Pap's old teammates have remarked about how much they miss their old closer, on the field as well as in the clubhouse.

Early speculation was that possibly Andrew Bailey could be the team's closer, but he injured his thumb and has a long stint on the disabled list left.  At the moment, Alfredo Aceves is the reliever with the most saves so far (seven), but he also has a 5.74 ERA to go with those saves.

I'm sure CBP will have many Boston fans who made the trip to Philly in the stands.  I also have a feeling that the Phillies sweeping the BoSox and having a couple of those wins saved by Papelbon will leave a very bad taste in the Red Sox fans' mouths. 

Then again, it's not a long drive to Tony Luke's on Oregon for a cheesesteak to help the Sox fans get rid of that bitterness.  Hopefully, they have a very good GPS or are willing to ask directions! 

***************************************************

Like playing in the dirt with us?  Then tell your friends!  There's always room for more!  Click the link on the right and share us via Twitter, Facebook, or the link at the bottom for Google+.

Wanna talk dirty with us?? Leave a comment below...

Reason to Be Concerned About the Phils? HECK YEAH!!

Those who know me know that I'm one of the most optimistic people around.  This is especially true when it comes to the prospects of Philadelphia sports teams (and the Pitt Panthers!).

So the question today..."Is there any reason to be scared by the Phillies recent performance?"

The answer is...YES, be VERY afraid!  It may not be something that can change any time soon.

It's definitely not time to panic and make vacation plans for October quite yet.  As long as the Phillies continue to have hope that Utley and Howard will indeed return, there is great hope. But, it might be a good idea to try to fix things now before it gets too out of hand!

There is good news.  Despite the horrific start and recent severe failures, the home town boys only find themselves 5 games back of first place.  The teams above them in the standings are not anything you might confuse with the 1927 Yankees, so it's not like this is an insurmountable deficit to recover from.

And you would THINK that with a starting pitching rotation featuring Halladay, Lee, and Hamels it would be very difficult to screw things up, right?  Yeah, you would think.  But, man, oh man, the guys in the red pinstripes are doing their best to give us concern!

Obviously, the bullpen has been a HUGE problem that needs to be fixed ASAP; but with Papelbon, Bastardo, Herndon, Qualls and the other cast of characters, you'd think it would be better than it has been.  I have a feeling you'll see better days from the bullpen as the season goes on and the pitchers have more than 10 innings under their belts.

The bigger issues to me are the other guys around the team who are not playing up to their abilities.

If you could morph Galvis and Orr together, you MIGHT get a second baseman than can hit AND field.  As of now, you have two guys that simply CANNOT do one or the other.

The Jim Thome experiment has been a pretty bad idea so far; it might be a good time to cut bait and make better use of that roster spot.  Like somebody who can do....ANYTHING?

Rollins, Victorino, and Mayberry are roughly hitting a combined .235.  To me, here lies the biggest problem.  With guys named Howard and Utley not in the lineup it's up to these 3 (among the others) to come through.

They have not.

Just hit .260 for goodness sake!  Unless you're Freddy Galvis, it's not THAT hard to do, is it?

Of the three named above, the guy I have the most confidence in rebounding is Mayberry.  He showed he can be clutch and fairly consistent last season down the stretch. 

With Rollins, I'm pretty much ok with him just catching the ball, which he is still one of the best at doing.  But, if he could contribute offensively at all, it would make a huge difference.  When you already have a second baseman who is a "glove only guy" you can't afford to have a second one in the lineup unless the rest of the team is cranking out runs like they're going out of style....and that ain't happening.

That leaves us Vic.  I'm sorry, but maybe it's time to part with our beloved Hawaiian.  He is a commodity the Phillies could dangle for trade bait and possibly sure up the bullpen a little bit.  Given he will be a free agent soon, you probably won't get a ton for him; but you might get something, and then you can use Juan Pierre in CF every day.

When Chase and Ryan come back, the team can hit the pavement running instead of flat on their face.

And let's give some credit where credit is due....Kudos to dudes named Pence, Ruiz, Polanco, and "The Three Aces" for carrying the team so far.  Without them, things could be MUCH worse.

My guess is that the Phils will sit tight and try to correct from within and they will probably be able to make that happen.  But…is there a reason to be concerned?  Uhhhh yeah, there is....even I admit that.